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Order of the Temple
The Order of the Temple is a secretive knighted order that was founded by allies of the Church of the Holy Light to counter the Forsaken that threatened the priests and paladins of the Clergy in January of 23 L.C.. Its members are known as Templars of the Light. Membership within the Order has fallen since the fall of Lordaeron and Stromgarde. In the past, the Templars were trained in the means of tracking, close-quarters combat, counter-spells and Abjuration magic to thwart the hit-and-run tactics of Lightslayers, necromancers, warlocks and rogue mages. Organization There are only three ranks within the order: recruit, Templar of the Light, and Grand Master. Grand Master The Grand Master of the Order is a rank that one must be elected to. This elected individual is often considered the leader of the Order and acts as the sole representative to the Church. However, this seems to be the only function as within the Order itself the Grand Master is merely considered 'first among equals' and his or her word simply holds a little bit more weight than the standard Templar. Templar of the Light The rank of Templar is attained after the proper rituals and training have been applied to the recruit. Upon gaining the title of Templar, the individual is equal to every other brother or sister. Those who have attained this rank are called 'Brothers' or 'Sisters'. Recruit The fresh faces of the Order. They are selected by the brothers and sisters of the Order based upon recommendations by the Church, members of the Order itself, or selected based upon a set of ideals and loyalty to the Church. They must be trained in the martial ways and philosophy of the Templars and must undergo several rituals in order to be considered a full Templar. Charge of the Order The Order's purpose has evolved since its founding. The original charge of the Order was to keep the rogue wizards of the Cult of the Damned in check. With the fall of the northern kingdoms, their charge has evolved into various objectives: #Aid in the reclamation of the northern kingdoms #Recover lost relics of the Church #Oppose the Lightslayers There are other unofficial charges of the order, such as guarding travelling pilgrims on the roads of the northern kingdoms, temples, or caravans. It also carries out the will of the Archbishop, though the relationship between the Archbishop of the Church and the Order has fallen less and less as membership has gone down. Magic Use As an order formed for the sole purpose of fighting magically-inclined enemies of the church, the Order of the Temple's knights are trained in countering spells and weaving magic of their own. Strong mental barriers are maintained at all times to prevent mind control or reading. A Templar's spellbook would include several abjurative shields and wards. The most skilled of the Templar are trained to banish demons and turn undead. Templar who do not possess innate abilities of channeling magic (as Sorcerers do) supplement their skills with Potions of Mana. While generally frowned upon as an excess by the church, consuming these potions both empowers a Templar's ability to counter spells and raises their bodily resistance to Magic. Unfortunately, as with most things magical, Mana Potions consumed in succession gradually lose their potency as a user's body becomes tolerant to their effects. The Templar who regularly resort to potions to bolster their abilities become addicted, facing terrible withdrawal symptoms if they cease their use. Recruitment To maintain the order's sanctity and prevent its plans from reaching the Templars' enemies, all communications within the order are kept secret. What is known is that those recruited into the order have had their backgrounds checked to ensure that their loyalty lies with the church. Individuals of any church-following nation may join the order. Most who join the order already hold titles of nobility or knighthood, though notably skilled members of the common classes have been invited to become Templar. Known Templar *Throstan Andro *Maxen Montclair *Rakanis Dawes References The Order of the Temple was inspired by both the real-world Knights Templar and the Templar Order from the Dragon Age universe. Category:Organizations Category:Holy Church Organizations Category:Order of the Temple Category:Templars